In August, Smooth Sailing
by Kaeru Shisho
Summary: It is now August and Lina, Xelloss, and their children begin a day at the beach, recall some past events together, then Xelloss takes them deeper into his secret world.


**In August, Smooth Sailing**

* * *

Disclaimer: This story follows In July... and may be confusing if read as a standalone story.

* * *

"Smooth sailing? SMOOTH SAILING? You think adopting our children was hard, wait 'til we go through a natural birth. Nine months of work for one baby, maybe two, but usually just one." Lina warned her husband. "We'll be sweatin' it, for sure. Hey, give me a hand here, will ya?" 

Xelloss straightened the beach towel with a spell while putting the finishing touches on the umbrella. So far, Lina, Xelloss and their four children were alone on the beach. He located a glass and poured a cool drink for Lina. "_We? _I am certain it's all up to you. My participation ended with the copulation part." He was wrong, of course, and Lina pounded him soundly for his insolence. He saw her point after that, and agreed that it would be a very painful experience for all involved parties.

* * *

Actually, choosing their children _had_ been a painful experience. It began with the interview, where the adoption agency hoped to learn about the prospective parents. This was the third home Lina and Xelloss had visited, and due to a series of verbal slips and judgment errors it was only the second time they had made it past the first few minutes of questioning. They planned to pass the test this time, but they had no idea what steps came after that. 

"And now, sir, tell me what qualities you have that make you a fit father." The adoption agency representative looked to Xelloss for an answer.

"_I'm_ the mother. _I'm_ the one who set this all up. _I'm_ the one you ought to be talking to," Lina insisted.

"All right, then... what are your husband's qualifications?"

"What does that matter? He's a man (sort of) and he's devoted to me. That's all that matters."

"I see." The interviewer jotted a note: _Husband hen-pecked_. "Now, about your income..."

"Sufficient. I can earn anything I might need, and Xelloss has his own money. That shouldn't be a problem."

The man smiled knowingly. Clearly Lina had married the wimp for his income and inheritance: _moneyed man. _"Very well. There is the matter of safety. You don't live in the city, and the countryside is prone to bandits. It is considered to be a very dangerous place to raise children."

"Not where I live. Bandits are my gravy-train, so to speak. Don't worry; when it comes to defenses, we've got 'em, except possibly against all the dark lords, should they attack as a single unit."

He raised his eyebrows incredulously and said, "Well, really, madam!"

Lina bristled. "I'm a sorceress. I blow up bandits. The kids will be safe anyway, damnit!"

"Ah... I see," he said, as he scribbled down a note: _rough neighborhood, tough mama_. "Next, I would like to hear, in your own words, what kind of children you would like, so that we can get the best fit possible."

"Now, we're getting someplace." Lina banged his desktop with a gloved fist, and then raised one finger to keep count. "First, I want at least four kids. Five would be okay, too, but at least four. Second, it would be swell if they all knew one another already, like brothers and sisters, ya know?"

"You are thinking of a ready-made family where perhaps the parents died accidentally?"

"Yeah, you get the picture just fine. See? What did I tell ya, Xelloss? Things like that _do_ happen."

"I didn't doubt you, dearest. I simply wanted to know if you required _me_ to make the...arrangements." He closed his mouth the moment he felt Lina's sword point digging into his shoe.

The interviewer looked on, frowning. "_Arrangement_s, sir? You don't mean that you were considering obtaining your children by violent means?"

Of course he had meant that, but Lina interrupted before Xelloss could permanently damage their chances at this agency– they had already run out of the nicer children's homes. "Oh, no, what an active imagination you have! Heh, heh... He only meant that he would have come alone today, if it inconvenienced me too much to come. He's very thoughtful that way. See? He'd make a great father."

The adoptive agency representative was not wholly convinced, but he had a family of unruly charges which he would be thrilled to offload onto this couple, so he didn't want to probe too hard or too deeply. "So, what you are hoping for is a family of several children of varying ages, am I correct?"

"Bingo!" Xelloss said triumphantly. He found this process agreeable all around, and wondered how much more specific he could be. His biggest concern was that Lina would tire of their constant demands and expect him to step into the caretaker shoes, something he felt incapable of, as well as far beneath his dignity. Playing husband to Lina, as enjoyable as it was, could masquerade as an assignment, but being nursemaid to a batch of brats couldn't be disguised. "They shouldn't be too troublesome," he began.

As far as food preparation was concerned, he left it all to Lina. He didn't consume much food, since he was still relying on his demon habits to avoid battles with Lina over food. Knowing her appetite, though, he couldn't possibly imagine her sharing her food with a passel of kids. So, they shouldn't eat much, and if that meant they stayed small, then that's the way it had to be. "Or... grow too fast," he said slowly, knowing there had to be another requirement.

Humans were fragile and it wasn't in his nature to be protective of them. Neither was it possible for him to cure their ills or mend their injuries. And although he might enjoy their cries, screams, and wails of pain and misery, Lina wouldn't. Lina would have to be the brood's healer, which might demand too much of her resources, leaving little left for him to take pleasure from. That wouldn't be good. "And they shouldn't require too much medical care."

Lina sucked in her breath. The interviewer raised his eyebrows suspiciously and peered over his half-glasses with growing alarm. Xelloss smiled, folded his hands, and asked, "That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

The agency representative scanned Xelloss' face for evidence of serious intent or of humor. Xelloss' smile widened slightly, which the other man understood to mean "I was joking" and allowed him to breathe easier. "Ho, ho, you do have a fine sense of humor, sir, which, I might add, is an important quality in a father. Yes, children do require a large portion of our time and resources, but the return in the end; well, you can't put a price on that, can you?"

Xelloss thought he could, and was about to quote a number when Lina jabbed him with her sword tip again and answered for him. "No, you can't; at least, they're priceless to us. Nothing like the love of children to fulfill your dreams."

The man was supremely pleased with Lina's reply; it meant she was willing to spend a good deal of money to acquire the children. With a contented smile spreading across his face for the first time that afternoon, he rose to his feet, preparing to close the deal. "Very good. It just so happens I have what I think is the perfect choice for you. Would you like to see them?"

They did. With the interview part out of the way, Lina and Xelloss were entering new territory. Stage two: the viewing. They had never gotten this far before. Lina and Xelloss exchanged glances; Lina was excited and nervous, and he was mildly curious. "This'll be great," she assured him. "It's your choice if they're the ones, okay?"

Xelloss continued smiling benevolently, averting his eyes only when the man returned pushing four children ahead of him. "Here they are."

While the representative introduced the children and told a little bit about them, Xelloss studied them, ruffians all. Three were tousled-haired boys, but the oldest was a girl with black hair cut straight at her shoulders and at her eyebrows. It was a style much like his and she noticed it, too, staring at him directly, as if to dare him to choose her and her brothers. "What is your name?" Xelloss asked her.

"He just told you. Weren't _you_ listening?" the girl said defiantly.

"No, I wasn't, but I asked you a question, or weren't _you_ listening?"

"I don't have to tell you. You don't want me. You only want the boys. That's all anyone wants."

"Maddy, you will be polite and respectful to these people. They are looking for four children, all siblings. You wouldn't want to ruin your brothers' chances to be together with that smart mouth of yours, would you?" the man asked. Turning to Lina and Xelloss, he said, "I'm so sorry. The older children are so often overlooked and disappointed."

"Well, I like your guts, Maddy," Lina said. "I gotta good friend with a little boy your age. He's a prince. A real one. You could be friends."

Maddy's eyes opened wide, but she restrained herself from exhibiting too much eagerness. She looked down at her worn boots and imagined having a prince for a friend. What prince would play with a girl who wore such ugly boots? It wasn't possible.

Xelloss stepped sideways to the line-up of boys. Maddy was close to nine years old, while the boys ran from seven to two. They all looked alike to him, as most humans did. Unremarkable. "Lina?" He called her over and whispered, "They are very...plain. What do _you _think?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, they're average kids. What's wrong with that? I'm sure one or two can be taught magic, and they all can learn to handle a sword."

"I see. Well, then, I suppose they'll do. What's next?"

"I'll ask. Um, we'll take them. All of them. Can their things be bundled so we can leave tonight?"

"Certainly that can be arranged." He rang for a housekeeper and instructed her to begin preparations for the children's leaving. "Go with her, children. Get your things together. Your new home awaits you. While the children help pack," the man said, returning to his desk and unrolling a contract, "Let us finalize this transaction."

And so the happy couple moved on to the third, and final, stage: agreeing on a sum, for it turned out that there **_was_** a price for happiness after all. This proved to be the most painful step for Lina and the one where her customary negotiation tactics couldn't be used. It wouldn't do to throttle the man or blow him up at the risk of eliminating their chances at adopting the children.

"Twenty gold pieces! I could buy a village of kids for that!" Lina yelled.

"There's no need for raised voices, madam. I'm certain we can reach an agreement like gentle folk."

"I'm glad _you_ are. From the looks of the little ragged beggars, I imagine you'd be better off simply giving them to us," Xelloss noted. He had tasted human emotions for many hundreds of years; in fact, he considered himself to be a _connoisseur_. This man's greed was apparent as well as his desperation- both emotions Xelloss found intoxicating in excess. "You'll save half what you're asking for them in a year by not having them to feed and clothe. If you think about it, you should be paying us to cart them away. What do you think, dear, should we charge five gold pieces each to take them away?"

Xelloss' point left the poor wretch speechless for a moment but served to hasten along the parley. "I must charge the going rate..." The man's determined jaw slackened, then hung loose as Lina's red-hot eyes burned into his. At last he gave in. "One gold piece each. I really can't take less."

"You _really_ can, and will. Here are two gold coins for the kids and five silver for their belongings. Now, see, I've signed the paper for that amount, so there's no use arguing any more." Lina wrote out her name, complete with titles, deserved or not, and handed Xelloss the pen.

Xelloss took one look at the contract, and shook his head. "But you haven't left me any room. You filled in all the empty space with your own name."

"You don't need much space, Xelloss, because you haven't much of a name. Now there. Put it there so we can get the hell... leave soon, okay?"

"I'll do my best, dear." He added a flourish to the crossing of the lines making up the letter "X", so that it appeared to have a snake running through it, which was interesting to look at, but left it illegible. Also, there was something frightening about it, which gave the man goose bumps and filled him with dread. It pleased Xelloss, though. "Your turn," he smiled, urging the agency man to take the pen and sign.

"Dear gods..." he muttered as he added his scribble, and then passed a second copy to Lina and Xelloss. "For you," he said, nearly adding, "Now go."

* * *

"Okay, so after _that_ it was smooth sailing," Xelloss told Lina. 

"For you, maybe. I've done most of the work raising them all."

"Not all," he insisted. He wanted to point out how many times he'd arranged getaways for the two of them, away from the daily grind and demands of motherhood. He had also ensured excellent behavior in the children by securing in their minds the fear of severe disciplinary action should they disobey a command. They were well aware that he was in no way human, and they were terrified of him for the longest time, although he had never been cruel to them.

"Well, up until last May you hardly took an interest in them, and you never shared any part of yourself, like telling them stories or playing with them."

"That's because my stories frightened them, although I never meant to harm them."

"You scared them for the longest time."

"But they were the best-behaved children of any of our friends. They still are. Milgasia confided that much to me, and you know how much that must have cost that dragon pride of his."

"Eh, maybe," she said without caring. "You treated me like I was special. I couldn't understand why you couldn't be the same around our children until you revealed some of the restrictions that demon bonding placed on you. Like being unable to share me and having your allegiance torn between us and Zelas."

"I was ecstatic to have won you."

"Yeah, of course you were, but it took a few spells for you to enjoy it."

"And I am eternally grateful to you for that."

Lina watched his face carefully for any sign of sarcasm, but found that he was being sincere. "I'm glad you still feel that way."

"Knowing that you were devoted to me in return was incredible. I'd never had a possession before; my mistress had never allowed me...er... not that I ever owned you," he added quickly. "You have always been more of a treasure. But it wasn't long before I realized that my mistress could manipulate me through you, because she knew I would protect my one treasure with all my power. We adopted our little family and I could see how vulnerable the children were, if my mistress thought I was strongly attached to them, too."

Enlightenment shone in Lina's eyes. It made Xelloss a little uneasy. She often got that look before she did something alarming. This time it was only because a new phase was beginning in Lina's understanding of her husband. "So... you pretended not to like our children so that Zelas wouldn't use or hurt them. That was part of the problem, too, wasn't it?"

"That's true. I wasn't even aware of it either. It isn't instinctual for my race to be protective in the first place, so I didn't expect to feel anything. But thanks to your ill-advised, but correctly applied, spell to break my bond with my mistress, I became a changed demon. My family filled the void left when Zelas vacated my mind. I was no longer bound for my lifetime to serve my mistress. More importantly, I no longer serve as a direct conduit from her to my...treasures."

"But we are all still in danger from her retaliation," Lina put in. "You seem sure of that."

"Right. However, at least I no longer must be careful how I share myself with you or our children. She can't use me to harm you, because I'm no longer her cooperative agent."

"You are happier now, aren't you?"

"Happy. What a funny way for a demon to live, feeling happy and not keeling over. Yes, I do feel happier now that my connection to my mistress is severed, but…."

"But?"

"I wonder at times what she feels."

"Who, Zelas? You think she misses you?"

"Misses me... yes. I wonder if she suffers from my absence. I suppose she does. All her orders ran first through me to carry out as I saw fit. Now I wonder who is doing my job for her now, if anyone. Mostly I wish I could know when she will act, and how, to mend the bond. For every spell, there is an anti-spell."

"But I used a white magic spell concealed in black magic and strengthened by calling on the Lord of Nightmares. She can only use black magic, right? So there is no undoing it."

"That we know of, Lina. Although, I have to admit that your spell was a very clever one."

"That's because I am a clever person."

"I heard a sigh. Is anything wrong?"

"No, just tired." She closed her eyed and lay back onto the warm sand. After a moment, she asked, 1"Are you keeping an eye on the children, Xelloss?" This meant that she was going to take a nap and that he should.

He shifted his attention from his pretty wife to a large sand structure. "Yes." He was now. "They are building a... building."

"A sand castle?"

"Could be, but it is small, damp, and more cave-like. Oh, oh..."

The oldest, Maddy, was livid, shouting and shaking her fist at the youngest, Ernest. Xelloss scrambled to his feet, stepped in a discarded sand bucket, and hopped to where they were playing. He was swearing under his breath and kicking off the bucket when he reached his children.

"Father, you shouldn't use language like that if you want to set a good example," his eldest said.

And, of course, he wanted to set a good example. Lina expected him to. However, he didn't want to be reminded by a child. He silenced his daughter with a withering glance. "Why is Ernest crying?"

"We can take care of it. It's nothing. You needn't bother..."

"Answer me, child!"

She took a step back, but answered bravely. Her mother had encouraged her to stand up for herself and promised her that Xelloss wouldn't actually do her harm. "We were playing house. And he wanted to destroy it."

"B-but..."

Xelloss turned his attention to his youngest son. "Go on, what is your defense?"

"It was MY turn to...to..."

"Your turn, to what?" Xelloss rested his hands on his hips and tried to curb his impatience. Human children were not like short adults. They had so much to learn, and Lina expected him to do a large proportion of the teaching, because he was the man and they were boys, or most of them.

"To be the...the..."

"To be the demon, he means," his daughter said in a defiant tone. She had absorbed all of Lina's qualities, good and bad, in the short time she'd lived with them, but this attitude of hers was unchanged from the beginning.

Taking strength from his sister's lead, the next eldest, Torn, spoke up courageously. "The one who gets to destroy the house, you see. That one's the demon. We build it up, then we get a turn to mess it up, only Ernest just took two turns in a row and was trying to take another. So we stopped him."

Xelloss was still considering the game. "You take turns playing the role of the demon-destroyer?"

"Yes. You're going to tell us to stop, aren't you?" she asked him.

"Stop you? Why, no. Why would I do that? It sounds like a splendid game to me. However, Ernest, even demons must follow orders and take turns, especially the smallest ones."

"But you don't," whispered Auden, the quiet, middle brother argued, hoping he had understood what his sister had told him correctly.

Xelloss heard him and knelt to his eye-level before saying, "Well, I do and I don't. I'm not one of the_ little ones._ And, I'm in trouble for being independent." They all looked at him, rapt. He rarely revealed anything personal. This was an important event in their lives.

"Daddy? What kind of trouble? Is it...serious?" His daughter's voice was tremulous.

Her concern touched him. His tone softened further. "I won't lie and say it's not. My..." He had nearly said 'master', but he refused to get into an explanation of master-servant bonding, not now, and not with his children. "...employer may be looking for me. We lost contact some time ago when your mother cut off our lines of communication rather suddenly."

"Is she mad?"

"I don't know, but she hasn't closed her domain to me."

The children didn't know what that meant exactly, but they took it to be a good thing. Maddy rapidly combined in her head everything she had gleaned from her mother and from what she had read or what she had heard from her best friend, Prince Luke De Seyruun. Zel's oldest son had told her that he had overheard his parents say that Xelloss was an old and infamous demon. She wondered how important her father really was, and now that he was being open, she thought it was her chance to find out. "How about your boss? Doesn't _he _have a boss that might come after you, too?"

The question was unexpected. Xelloss smiled and stood, shaking his head. Little Maddy was quick-witted and not one to be fooled easily, so he answered her plainly. "_She _does, but _he's_ not in a place to act. He was divided into seven pieces and hidden."

Maddy's eyes widened as she understood what he just revealed --how highly placed her father actually was in the demon hierarchy. Her mother had told her the story of the demon dragon wars, and the defeat and subsequent division of the Demon Lord Ruby Eye. Now she knew her father was only a step away from Ruby Eye, meaning that Xelloss was a servant of a dark lord-- a dark lord, which Xelloss had defied due to her mother's intervention and one that was coming for him. She had no illusions that their meeting would be a sociable one. Aside from her father, her mother had warned her, there were no friendly demons.

Meanwhile her younger brothers were more impressed by the 'severed boss' idea. They all burst with questions at once, and Xelloss had to cover his ears. They stopped and stared, wondering if he was going to disappear. He had often done that when he had had enough of their chattering. Instead, he asked, "How about _I_ do the construction so you can take turns faster at obliterating my creation?"

They immediately forgot the 'severed boss' as the rare playful father invented a variation on their game. With enthusiastic cheers urging him on, Xelloss wove a quick spell. A towering castle complete with flying buttresses, grew magically out of the sand. "Wow!"

It took all four of them to level it. "I think there is something I can teach you about the annihilation process," Xelloss said with a truly malevolent gleam in his eyes.

His children agreed. "Do it again!"

He did. Three more times, until he heard Lina call his name. "Excuse me, but my new, and far prettier, boss calls. You'll have to play it the old way now."

Their hearts sank, but they didn't dare complain. The man was an enigma, but he was their father, and sometimes their daddy.

"Is that you coming back?" Lina asked, sitting up and leaning back on her elbows.

"Yes, everything is fine with the children. How are you feeling now?"

"My magic abilities are dwindling. By the time I'm as big as a boat, I'll have none left."

"I'll be at your side. You can rely on me. A boat?" He followed her gaze off shore to a short pier where a sleek boat bobbed in the water. "Would you like to go for a boat ride?"

"Have you ever sailed before?"

"No, but how hard can it be?"

Her eyes narrowed, and then closed. "No, thanks. Right now I don't think the motion seems too appealing. Ugh... I'm so tired and blah feeling all the time. And now I'm hot and the sand is sticking to my skin and I feel so damned..."

"Crabby?"

"Yes!"

"Well, you did say you wanted to come to the beach, but perhaps this isn't the right one."

"Maybe not. You have another place in mind?"

"Yes. It will be cooler and less sunny, possibly dim, and more rocky than sandy, I'd say."

"Are there snack stands?"

Xelloss thought a moment and decided that there wouldn't be anything suitable for her. "We'll pick up more provisions on the way."

"Will it take long to get there?"

"No, but we'll stop at home first to change clothes, then stop at a market for supplies first."

"That's too much effort."

This time it was Xelloss who sighed, irritably. "Then you stay here and I'll do it. Teleportation will be quicker anyway. When I've acquired what we need, I'll come back here for you. I'll transport us both to the beach then, and I'll promise to shield you from as much unpleasantness as possible. Will that do?"

"Teleport me? Oh, I guess so. It just makes me queasy." One look at his face, which was one step away from looking fed up with her, and she agreed. "But I'll deal with that. How about the kids?"

"They can join us." With a quick kiss to her cheek, Xelloss was gone. Minutes later he had returned and had Lina ensconced in one changing room with him in the next. He had told the children to pull some garments over their swimsuits and be ready at a moment's notice to leave.

"You sure we'll need the heavy cloaks?" Lina asked. She was already sweating in her pants and tunic as she yanked on her boots.

"Yes. Are you ready yet?"

"No! I just can't magically snap my fingers and be dressed like you, you know."

"I know," he sighed again. A snippy Lina, who was likely to become worse as time went on over the next six months, was a new sensation for him. Ordinarily, bad feelings of any sort from a human he found pleasurable, but he'd become accustomed to a Lina who was passionately in love with him. This one was totally consumed by her own minor irritations and ignoring his immediate and growing needs.

A sense of panic surged through him. What if she no longer loved him? What if he fell out of love with her? He had no idea what either would feel like, but he knew it happened to humans all the time. Without Lina and without his duties to his master to bind him, what would become of him? He felt vulnerable. This was no time for that, he told himself. Not now. He tried to shed his worries, but some lingered.

Lina had said little to him on the subject, but her silence was more eloquent than speech. Certainly she was aware of their problems, mostly his, but was sensitive enough not to rub his nose in it. He was grateful for it. He would have found her criticism painful, because it would have been fair, and when one is most vulnerable, one is also the least able to bear the wound. Of course she loved him. She had married him, which was a ceremony of much meaning to her. It bonded them in a human contract no less real than the one he had had with Beastmaster Zelas. Lina would understand why he needed to make this journey.

"Okay, mister. I'm ready. Let's go before I overheat, now."

"As you wish."

"I wish. So, where is this beach you're taking me to?"

He was prepared for a bumpy ride when he replied, "Wolfpack Island."

"WHAAAT! 1Wolfpack Island! Not _that_ place again. Not now! It could be dangerous and I'm not at my best here, idiot. And you're taking the kids along, too? What were you thinking of?"

"I was thinking about the first time we visited. Remember the cruise?"

Her eyes softened, although she wasn't going to let him forget to answer her questions, it was a pleasant memory to recall. "Yeah, that was nice. All the food I could eat and nothing to do. How could I forget?" Lina smiled as he folded his arms and waited for her to mention what important thing had occurred. "Oh, don't worry. I didn't forget that that was when we started your _treatments_. I gotta tell ya, I never knew how you experienced the world. I was winging it with a few of those spells."

"Masking the effect of the "positive" emotions was a shock. I was nearly incapacitated by the conflicting sensations and you were there seducing me in public."

"I was not," she said, blushing. "I was trying to convince you to work with me and not fight the spell. I had to encourage you somehow, but I wasn't seducing you. We weren't even married yet."

"Hmmm, that's not how I remember it. We were out on the deck, sunning, and you cast a spell over me."

* * *

(To the tune 'Island in the Sun', by Weezer:) 

_When you're on a holiday, you can't find the words to say _

_all the things that come to you, and I wanna feel it, too_,

Xelloss explained, or tried to. "I'm not too keen on what you want to try, Lina."

Lina squeezed Xelloss' hand, "That's okay. Trust me. I'll do the spell and you'll be much happier. It ought to expand your horizons, emotionally speaking."

She and her friend had been experimenting, testing the limitations of his demon make up. There was no reason that he couldn't feel the full spectrum of emotions as humans did. He had occupied his body for so long it felt more natural to him than his demon spirit body, a dark cone of swirling miasma. He had taken to eating some of the time, feeding his body and making it work for him like a human's, so he didn't constantly require the absorption of bad feelings for energy, although he still liked the taste. Maybe he could be taught to tolerate the best emotions, too.

That's what the spell was for: to provide a temporary shielding of the strongest good emotions, and then gradually fade away as he could endure them.

_On an island in the sun we'll be playing and having fun_,

"Remember, this is for us. Soon we'll be on vacation and both enjoying it." Lina reminded him as she sealed the incantation with a kiss. "There. Now how do you feel?"

_And it makes me feel so fine I can't control my brain_,

Xelloss gasped at the new sensations. The love emanating from Lina no longer weakened him or made him queasy. It was odd and stimulating. He crossed his eyes and turned to her, asking, "Who am I?"

Lina slapped him. "Don't play tricks like that with me. We're on this cruise to enjoy ourselves, and damnit, we are going to do just that!"

"Oooh, that helped. Okay, I see, well I'll just stretch out on this cot and sleep-- and try to forget I was ever any other way."

_When you're on a golden sea, you don't need no memory– just a place to call your own_,

Lina sighed and snuggled into her own comfy deck chair. "Yeah...man...this is so fine. Honestly, how do you feel?"

"Different. As if another universe just opened up inside my head. Don't give it another thought, though. Just take a nap," he murmured back.

_As we drift into the zone_,

"You bet! So... it's working okay, then? Good. We'll get to that island of yours and just kick back for a few weeks, right? Like we planned?"

_On an island in the sun we'll be playing and having fun_!

Xelloss chuckled at his love's misperception of Wolfpack Island. "Certainly, my dear."

_And it makes me feel so fine, I can't control my brain._

"Ah, Lina? I feel surrounded by happiness and it's kind of all right, which is really bothering me. My head might explode. I think the spell is not working quite right."

"Oh, its okay. You should be feeling different. Listen, we agreed to do this. You agreed."

_We'll run away together. We'll spend some time...Forever..._

"Forever," he slipped in. "Yes, I did." He leaned over and kissed her deeply. "I feel very weird. Maybe this was a mistake. Is there an 'undo' for your spell?"

"Ah...not really, but we don't need that. You just need to try harder dealing with it. Don't you see? If we don't work with this spell...well...how will we be able to get closer?"

_We'll never feel that anymore. _

"Or build our relationship? Of courseI understand All I have to do is close my eyes and relax."

_We'll just go lay about on an island in the sun."_

"Got that straight," Lina giggled. "It will all blow over in no time."

_We'll be playing and having FUN!_

"Ah, yes..." he sighed and lay back down. "I'll get used to it, eventually...hopefully... or my brain will collapse. Will you still love me with no brain?"

_And it makes me feel so fine, I can't control my brain."_

"Probably, I'm not in love with your brain, you idiot!" she laughed.

_We'll run away together. We'll spend some time forever._

This time it was Lina's turn to caress his cheek and suck on his earlobe until he moaned. She massaged his shoulders and kissed his lips lightly. She pulled back and whispered, "You do want more, don't you?"

_We'll never feel that anymore._

"Okay, okay... I'll work with this...but it is very strange having all these happy people meandering around on deck and not wanting to kill them, or myself, or being nauseated. Very strange. Maybe if I could inflict a little pain..."

"Then kill one or two when I'm not looking, but let the spell empower you some more. Try harder. Don't fight it," she urged him.

Lina sucked on his lower lip until he whimpered, "More..."

"Try harder. If you don't," Lina cajoled him more, "We are at a standstill here."

_We'll never feel that anymore_.

She kissed his neck and painted his jaw with her tongue, making swirls to his lips, and than began to pull back from his mouth.

_No, no..._

"Please...?" hecalled, his voice thick with emotion.

_We'll never feel that anymore_,

"Not without bad and the good," Lina whispered. She sat back, dragging a fingernail over his chest, and began to stand up. "I might as well get moving..."

_No,no_!

He gripped her arm. "I'll make this work; don't leave me."

"Leave you? Hell, no! I was moving to my room." Lina stood up and winked. "Coming?"

* * *

"Well, yeah, but I don't recollect all that kissing, and I was going to my room to change clothes– my bathing suit, I think– and not to invite you along." 

"So, what was the wink for?"

"What wink? No wink, probably sun in my eyes. So, are we going or not?" There was understanding in her eyes. There was no reason to press him further into explaining why he wanted to go now to Wolfpack Island. She knew that Xelloss needed to go to the island domicile of his mistress to see if he were missed or even welcome. He had to face the problems incurred by the breaking of their bond. Worrying about when his mistress would come or what she would do was clouding his mind, something he could not live with. This would be their last chance to meet the problems head on and on their own terms, and while Lina still had most of her magical abilities. Dragging the children along, though, was an unusual decision for him to make on his own, but Lina didn't question him.

He smiled gratefully, then said in a lowered voice with a touch of humor, "It was _so_ a wink. You were luring me to your room. Now then, children! Come over. Group hug. Now, this is going to feel strange, but it won't last long and we'll be in another place. Just close you eyes and hang on. On the count of three. One...two...three..." Xelloss wrapped them in his arms.

"Four." They alighted on a windy outcropping over looking a steely sea. No sand, just sharp, black rocks to the water's edge. Behind them the rising cliff gave way to a deep forest, and beyond that, Zelas' domain.

"Lovely," Lina said sarcastically. She tightened her cloak, holding it closed as it flapped and snapped.

Maddy gasped, "This is Wolfpack Island!"

"Good guess," Xelloss smiled.

The boys shouted to see the wolves, but one look from their father and they closed their mouths and gathered close. Xelloss said nothing, but led Lina by the elbow away from the ledge and toward the forest. Their children trailed behind, until he stopped and shepherded them to the front. Demon underlings never came this close to the sea, so he chose it as a landing spot, but Xelloss was becoming more cautious as they entered the forest with it's many dark hiding places. Lina said nothing, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts. She knew that he was also sending out "feelers" to intercept any other creatures before they encountered them. He wouldn't allow anyone to pull a surprise attack on his family.

They were several hundred feet inside the forest when a pack of demon wolves blocked their way. Xelloss heard the gasps of surprise from the boys, and was proud that they remained calm and orderly as the lead wolf stepped forward. "Welcome, Master," the wolf said in a strange voice mixed with howls. "We are gladdened by your return."

Xelloss nodded slightly, outwardly showing no emotion, but he was pleased that his position appeared to be unaltered to his minions. "This is Lina Inverse. She's under my protection. These are...our offspring, also under my protection. Safeguard them well."

If the minions wondered at that, they kept their thoughts to themselves. Instead, they awaited instructions. Xelloss pointed up the path with his staff, and the wolves turned, leading the way. "Follow them, children," Xelloss commanded in a soft tone.

"It's been very quiet, Master," the wolf closest to him said.

Xelloss knew better than to ask how long. Immortal demons had little sense of time. He dipped his chin slightly, and strode on.

Lina noticed that the forest felt less ominous than on her first visit, but she didn't know whether that was because she was familiar with the route this time, or because the there was an actual change in the magic. Before long, an austere stone castle loomed out of the last of the forest. It looked the same, but, again, it felt different. "Are we going in?"

"We've come this far. Might as well say hello," he said in a lighter tone than he felt.

Lina could sense the tension in his voice, and she wondered what was going through her husband's mind. Did he think that they were being drawn into a trap? Not wanting to doubt his wisdom or experience, she matched his smile with one of her own and said lightly, "Sure, might as well stop in while we're in the neighborhood. Hey kids, your dad's taking you to see his...ah...family home. A real castle."

They passed through the iron gates, crossed the empty courtyard, and only stopped long enough at the main door for it to be opened by a guard in wolf-form. They may have been terrified, but the children did as they were told, entering the forbidding-looking building and building dreams for nights to come.

The first demon pack continued by their side into the castle, the soft pads of their feet making the only sounds on the slate floors. Of course, Lina knew that the castle wasn't real; none of it was. It was all an illusion for her and her children's benefit, and she was thankful for Xelloss' considerate attention to details. Xelloss had once explained to her how he enchanted the place to give it "dimension" so that she would be able to function within Zelas' domain. It was a realm existing mostly on the astral plain, which Lina's human brain couldn't perceive properly. After she had demanded it once, he had dropped the illusion temporarily. She passed out after a few disoriented, sickening moments, and he had re-instated it immediately. She never asked again.

Xelloss was wary, but he was more relaxed than Lina. He could sense what she could not, and that was an absence rather than a presence of a dark lord. Zelas was not there. Not in the domain; not on the island. "Maybe she's retired," Lina offered. She grabbed Ernest's hand, which he was glad to accept.

"I suspect that it's more likely that she is looking for me. It's encouraging that my presence here is received normally."

"Yeah, you haven't been banned or attacked. That's all good, I think. Like I said, she needs us more than we need her. Are we staying over?" Lina hoped not.

"Daddy?" Maddy looked up at his face anxiously. He could feel her fear rising.

"No, we can go now. I've learned everything I can here." He leveled his gaze at the lead demon wolf. "If Lord Beastmaster returns, inform me."

The wolf bowed, "Thank you for the orders. Anything else?"

"No." Xelloss had no need for minions, except as an early warning system.

"Wait!" Lina pulled Xelloss' head near to hers. "Can they cook? Clean? Babysit?"

"No, but they can learn. Would you like to have servants?" It had never occurred to him that she might.

"You bet! You'd like to have some pets wouldn't you kids? Four, one for each child, unless they're hard to feed."

"Oh, with all the children and their fighting and problems, there should be enough chaos to suit them." Xelloss smiled at Lina and then at Maddy, feeling her confidence return. "Okay, then..." Xelloss pointed out four of the wolves, including the spokesman. "You shall accompany us. Find another demon you trust to inform me of Zelas' arrival."

In the blink of an eye, they were back at Lina and Xelloss' home. The first matter to concern them was housing for four large wolves. Those were the best forms the minor demons could hold, but they needed better appendages, temporarily, for manual labor. Xelloss cast a spell over them, altering their appearance to give them arm-like limbs. While the demons constructed their own dwelling next to the larger home, the children watched, mesmerized.

Lina and Xelloss supervised and talked. "I know I've been a bit difficult lately," Lina said. "I really have appreciated all you've done, and I'm sorry for being so moody, too. It's all just normal for humans to go through things like that, so don't worry."

"Your feelings for me haven't changed?" Asking this question revealed how needy he was, and he regretted it instantly. He despised self-doubt. It entered his mind in a disturbing, reoccurring manner. It was an insidious human frailty that weakened a spiritual entity like himself. Was this the cost affixed to loving? How did humans retain their sanity? How could he survive? He was awash in a chaos of his own making.

She looked over the minions. "Can they get on without us for awhile?"

"Yes," he answered, not caring whether she meant the children or the minions. He was now further troubled because she had avoided answering the question. "Not for long, though."

"We won't need too long," she purred.

This time Xelloss was certain that she winked.

Lina pulled him into their house and into their bedroom, where assured him of her love and constancy and improved his state of mind immensely. Yes, he could believe that it really could be smooth sailing for them after all.

End, In August, Smooth Sailing.


End file.
